Storage box



Oct. 4, 1949. R. F. DAVIS STORAGE Box Filed Feb. 4, 1948 Patented Oct.4, 1949 UNITED STATES PATENT ,OFFICE 2,483,629L y STORAGE Box Robert F.Daviaraus church, va.

Application February 4, 1948, Serial No. 6,232

(Cl. cl2-112) 5 Claims.

This invention relates to retractable storage boxes and moreparticularly to an improved type of retractable storage box especiallydesigned to utilize space that is otherwise wasted.

The problem of providing a suicient amount of readily available storagespace is a problem in every household. Regardless of the number ofclothes closets, drawers, and even storage places under beds, underwindow seats and in kitchen cupboards, there is always a demand forstill more storage space so arranged that the contents are readilyaccessible. One particular problem has been the storage of shoes and ithas been mainly for the purpose of providing a better storagearrangement for shoes that the present invention has been-made.

Shoe racks have been built into closets, under beds and in dresserdrawers. Shoe boxes have been placed in closets and shoe racks fastenedto closet doors. None of these arrangements has been entirelysatisfactory. In many of them the shoes become dusty or rub againstother garments and in others the shoe boxes or shoe racks clutter up thecloset floor or provide an undesired obstacle on the door of the closet.The present invention avoids the difficulties, keeps the shoes easilyaccessible, substantially dust free, and oi of the floor and out of theway.

In application Serial Number 674,220, filed June 4, 1946,. now PatentNo. 2,460,681, by this same inventor, there is described a device forthis purpose which comprises a box adapted to contain shoes or any otherobject or objects which are to be stored, and which box is particularlyadapted to be mounted just above and just inside of the door of aclothes closet. This box is so mounted that it normally occupies thespace just above and just inside of a closet door, which space isotherwise unoccupied and unused. The box is also mounted soV that it canbe pulled downward to a position below the upper sill of the closet doorand one face of the box is open to permit easy access to the contents,when the box is in its lowered position. Thus, when the box is properlyinstalled, it remains out of sight and out of the way just inside of andabove the closet door. When it is desired to reach the contents the boxis pulled to a lower position by means of a handle aixed to it, andwhile in this position the contents may be inserted or removed.

By providing a spring or counterweighted suspension the box may becaused to remain in either its uppermost or its lowermost position onceit has been placed there and regardless of whether or not it contains anobject or objects to be stored. Thus, once the user pulls the box down,it can be arranged to stay down until the user takes from or places inthe box an object or objects, and then, after the user has pushed thebox into the uppermost position, the box will stay in that positionuntil the user again pulls it down.

The present invention is an improvement upon the invention of theaforementioned application. It contemplates, as did the aforementionedapplication, a box mounted so that it normally occupies the space justabove and just inside of a closet door, and this box, as was the box ofthe previous invention, is mounted so that it can be pulled downward toa position below the upper sill of the closet door, and one face of thebox is open to permit easy access to the contents when the box is in itslowermost position. Again, when the box is properly installed, itremains out of sight and out of the way just inside of and just abovethe closet door. Again, the box may be pulled into a lower position bymeans of a handle aflixed to it, and while in this position, thecontents may be inserted or removed. Again, the box is provided with asuspension that causes it to remain either in its uppermost or itslowermost position once it has been placed there and regardless ofwhether or not it contains an object or objects to be stored.

The purpose cf the present invention is to improve upon the specificarrangement disclosed in the earlier application-- Thus, the storage boxof the present invention has been made adaptable for use with doors of awide variety of widths by so arranging the suspension mechanism that itcan be mounted simply and easily on a wall above a closet door and is inno way dependent upon the width of the door since the parts are attachedto the wall and do not extend down onto the side members of the doorframe.

The new construction also is an improvement upon the construction of theearlier application in that it is arranged vfor very simple mounting bythe simple process of attaching a few simple brackets to the wall andthe insertion of the box and its supporting frame into these brackets.

The present invention is also an improvement upon the specicconstruction shown in the earlier application in that the storage box isarranged to move up and down in 'a straight line rather than in an arcand is supported by a particular type of spring tension members thatprovide a relatively constant lift at'all positions of the box. Thesetension members also have sufficient friction so that the box will stayin the desired position, regardless of variations in the amount ofweight in the storage box, if these variations do not exceed certainlimits which are relatively wide. It has been found, for example, thatwith the type of tension members used in the present construction, thebox will stay in any desired position either completely empty or loadedwith as much as ten pairs of mens shoes.

Further details and advantages of this invention will be apparent fromthe appended draw,- ings and the following detailed description of theembodiment illustrated therein.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a rear elevational view of a device embodying the principlesofy this' invention, mounted in an ordinary clothes closet;

Figure 2 is a side sectional elevational view of the same device takenon lines 2 2 of Figure l;

Figure 3 is a detail View, partly in section, of one of the springsuspension elements used to suspend' the box at the desired elevation inthe closet;

Figure 4 is a detail' view of this same suspension device taken on thelines 4 4' of Figure 3; and

Figure 5 is a perspective view of an assembled storage box andsupporting mechanism ready for installation in a closet.

The ordinary clothes closet door comprises a door frame III mounted inan opening in a wall I I. A preferred form ofthe device of thisinvention comprises: a supporting frame I2 mounted just above the doorof the closet in brackets I3, nailed or screwed to the wall just abovethe closet door. It will usually be found desirable to form thesupporting frame for the storage box from a pair of end plates I4 and I5connected by a pair of cross-members IB and I'I, at their upper andlower edges. The upper cross-member I'I may be supported in S-shapedbrackets I3, usually two, one at either end, and the lower cross-memberI 6 may also be supported in brackets I3, these latter brackets usually,although not necessarily, being U-shaped. There may be, if desired, twobrackets for the upper crosssmember and one bracket for the lowercross-member or vice versa. It is usually desired to have at least twobrackets for one of the cross-members so that the device cannot tiltendwise and it is usually also desirable to have at least one supportingbracket on each of the cross-members to prevent the device from tiltingback from the wall.

In placing these brackets in an ordinary clothes closet, it is desirableto locate the studs behind the plaster and to fasten the brackets at thestuds so that the screws used for mounting the brackets will pass intothe studs and rmly attach the brackets. However, expansion screws orother means may be used if desired to fasten the-brackets to the wall.After'the brackets are fastened to the Wall, the supporting frame I2 maybe set in the brackets along with its attendant parts which will behereinafter described. If desired, the brackets may include catches tohold the cross-members in position sothat the box cannot be accidentlylifted out of the brackets. Ordinarily, however, this will not benecessary.

Supported from the supporting frame I2 is the storage box 2B. Theheight, width, and depth of this box may be whatever is desired andwhatever the closet in which it is` to be installed will accommodate.However, it has been found that most clothes closets will accommodate abox ap,-

`4 proximately 13 inches in depth, 10 or 11 inches in height and 24inches in length. `Such a box is large enough to accommodate ten pairsof mens shoes.

The side of the box which faces the door when the device is installed inthe closet is left open. The interior of the box may be sub-divided byshelves 2| and partitions 22 as desired, or such shelves and/orpartitions may be omitted. In some instances, it will doubtless be founddesirable to use removable shelves that can be either inserted orremoved as the user desires. The storage box 20 will normally have oneor more handles 23 attached to the bottom side thereof, to facilitatethe lowering and raising of the box in the closet.

The storage box'is attached to its supporting frame by means of a pairof interlocking channels 30' and 3I, at each end of the box andsupporting member. One of the channels of each pair is attached to theYbox 20 and the other channel-of each. pair is attached to an end memberof the supporting frame I2. Thus, as the channel members slide relativeto each other, the box is lowered or raised relative to the supportingframe.

In order to counterbalance the box and prevent it from moving upor downexcept when it is pushed or pulled, a constant-tension spring d'evice ismounted between each pair of channels 3D and 3|. At the top end, thisspring device is attachedby a bolt 32 to thefixed channel 33 and an endmember of the'supporting frame. At the bottom end this spring member isattached tothe movable channel 3| by a pin 33, and is thus attached, ineffect, tothe-storage box.

The spring tension members used in this construction are of a type nowcommonly used in ordinary house Windows in place of ropes and sashweights; They comprise an outer tubular member 40 which encloses a` coilspring 4I attached at one end to the tubular member. At the other end ofthe coil spring 4 I, and within the tubular member'4ll, there ispositioned a rotatable guide member 42, in thev center of which is aslot 43. A longitudinally movable, long spiral strip of metal 44 passesthrough this slot 43 and thus as this strip of metal is drawndownwardly, and held against rotation, the guide member 42 is turned.

Since thev guide member 42 is attached to the lower end of the spring4I, andthe spiralV strip 44 is held against rotation by being attachedto the movable. channel. 3| by a pin 33, the guide member is turned asthe storage box is lowered and winds the spring 4I. This, in turn,resists the downward motionofthe metal spiral, and hence the downwardmotion of the storage box.

The deg-ree of twist of the metal spiral is adjusted sothat it variesover thelength of the metal spiral to compensatev for the additionalforce exertedA by the spring as it is wound tighter. This results in adevice that can be extended by tension, and which will resist thatextension by tension with'A approximately equal force throughout theentire extension. Furthermore, this device hasa considerable amount offriction which causes the device to remain inv whatever position it isplaced without any great tendency for it to change position due to thepressure off the spring.

As will be readily appreciated', such an arrangement is ideal' for astorage box of the type herein disclosed, since it permits the storageboxto be easily moved. to any position from its uppermost to its.lowermost position, and yet per-mits the box to remain in whateverposition it is placed regardless of relatively wide variations in load.

Numerous variations and modifications of the exact constructionabove-described will immediately be apparent to those skilled in theart. This invention, therefore, is to be considered as limited only asindicated in the appended claims and not as limited to the specificconstruction abovedescribed.

What is claimed is:

1. In a retractable storage box for use in a construction in which awall section extends downwardly from a ceiling section and terminateswell above the underlying floor section, and that comprises aretractable box, means to support said box behind said wall section, andabove its lower edge and under said ceiling section, said means alsopermitting said box to be pulled downward a limited distance to aposition below the lower edge of said wall section for access to itscontents, the improvement that comprises a supporting frame for saidbox, mounting means for mounting said supporting frame on said wallsection above its lower edge, guide members for guiding said box up anddown in a straight line, and spring means for counterbalancing said box,said spring means exerting substantially equal counterbalancing forceregardless of the elevation of said box.

2. In a retractable storage box for use in a construction in which awall section extends downwardly from a ceiling section and terminatesWell above the underlying iioor section, and that comprises aretractable box, means to support said box behind said wall section, andabove its lower edge and under said ceiling section, said means alsopermitting said box to be pulled downward a limited distance to aposition below the lower edge of said wall section for access to itscontents, an improvement that comprises a U-shaped supporting member forsaid box, means for removably fastening said U-shaped supporting memberto said wall section entirely above its lower edge with the legs of theU-shaped member extending perpendicularly outward from said L wallsection, guide members attached to each leg of said U section forguiding said box in a straight line during its up and down movement, anda spring counterbalancing unit attached between each leg of the U-shapedsupporting member and the corresponding end of the storage box tocounterbalance the storage box, said spring counterbalancing units beingof a type that will exert substantially uniform counterbalancing tensionon said box regardless of its elevational position.

3. In a retractable storage box for use in a construction in which awall section extends downwardly from a ceiling section and terminateswell above the underlying floor section, and that comprises aretractable box, means to support said box behind said wall section, andabove its lower edge and under said ceiling section, said means alsopermitting said box to be pulled downward a limited distance to aposition below the lower edge of said wall section for access to itscontents, an improvement that comprises a U-shaped supporting member forsaid box, means for removably fastening said U-shaped supporting memberto said wall section entirely above its lower edge with the legs of theU-shaped member extending perpendicularly outward from said wallsection, guide members attached to each leg of said U section forguiding said box in a straight line during its up and down movement, anda spring counterbalancing unit attached between each leg of the U-shapedsupporting member and the corresponding end of the storage box tocounterbalance the storage box, said spring counterbalancing units beingof a type that will exert substantially uniform counterbalancing tensionon said box regardless of its elevational position and being subject tosucient friction during their operation to substantially retard themovement of the box in either direction.

4. The improvement dened in claim 3 further characterized in that thespring counterbalancing units each comprise an elongated cylindricalsleeve, a coil spring mounted within said sleeve and attached at one endto said sleeve, a slotted follower mounted on the other end of saidspring and coaxial with said spring, and a spiral metal strip mounted inthe slot in said follower and held against rotation but not againstlongitudinal movement whereby the longitudinal movement of said spiralstrip rotates said follower and winds said spring, said spiral striphaving a varying degree of twist to compensate for the increasing forceexerted by said spring as it is wound.

5. An improvement as defined in claim 4 further characterized in thatthe spring counterbalancing units are mounted within the guide membersthat guide the movement of the storage box relative to the U-shapedsupporting member.

ROBERT F. DAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Davis Feb. 4, 1949Number

